steve kessler's house took a hit, $50,000 in damages. >> and it just kept coming and it kept coming and it kept coming, and that wind -- >> reporter: irene lashed coastal carolina, hit hard, hit fast. its early hours sucked the life frl the outer banks. irene was a disaster with a small "d." yes, snapshots of damage in hatteras and despair in rodincy, but not wholesale destruction. >> here's the waterline right here. >> reporter: in ada andrew's house, the water is going down. so is her anxiety. >> i live through them because it's beautiful 364 days of the year. >> reporter: and steve kessler still has a roof over his head. >> inside i can handle. it's the outside that's -- that's a mess. >> reporter: but most places outside here whisper vacation again. irene's timing is more good news, gone just in time for labor day weekend, the big money maker up an down this coastline. mark strassmann, cbs news, kill devil hills, north carolina. >>> we'll take a break. coming up on the morning news, colin powell accuses dick cheney of taking cheap shots in a new book. >>> plus beyonce's news, baby b